Device Provisioning

ABSTRACT

The disclosure relates to provisioning end devices, such as wireless end devices. In one aspect, a wireless end device may be provisioned with a backend system without requiring a user to enter information to connect the wireless end device to a local wireless network. Moreover, the wireless end device may be provisioned with a single user action. In one example, the single action may be a single click on an activation portal. The single action may trigger the backend system to detect the wireless end device with the help of one or more gateways at one or more premises, and to associate the wireless end device with a user account. The backend system may also facilitate configuring the wireless end device to connect to the proper or desired network at a premises.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/171,796, filed Oct. 26, 2018, and entitled“Device Provisioning,” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/412,106, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,148,520, filedJan. 23, 2017, and entitled “Device Provisioning,” which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/281,050, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,590,857, filed May 19, 2014, and entitled “DeviceProvisioning,” the content of each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

New products and devices are being developed for integration into homenetworks. Example devices include consumer devices, video and audioequipment, home automation equipment, and home security devices, such assensors and cameras. In order to save cost and size, many of thesedevices do not have a user interface for users to enter provisioninginformation so that the devices may be connected to the home network.Moreover, even if the devices may be connected to the home network, thedevices may remain unknown to other aspects of a network, such as abackend system, headend, local office, other servers, cloud basedsystems, security systems, and/or gateways. As such, network techniciansor other third party personnel may be required to travel to users' homesto connect devices to home networks and provision devices with a backendsystem. The use of these technicians and personnel may be costly,inefficient, and an annoyance to some users, and result in more overallcost than the cost of a provisioning interface on the device.Accordingly, there is demand for a more simplified process ofconnecting, provisioning, controlling, and registering devices on anetwork.

SUMMARY

Some or all of the various features described herein may facilitateconnecting wireless devices to networks (e.g., local area networks, widearea networks, home or premises networks, business networks, cloud basednetworks, etc.) and provisioning the wireless devices with a remotesystem (e.g., a service provider, backend system, cloud, or other remotesystem) without requiring the user to enter specific network or deviceinformation. In certain embodiments, this disclosure enables a singleaction (e.g., one-click) process for provisioning wireless devices, andfor registering these devices with a server or other remote site toensure the devices are updated appropriately and that local and/orremote features are enabled for utilizing the new devices. In thismanner, end users can easily purchase and upgrade their systems (e.g.,security, garage door, cars, phones, content players, set top boxes,sensors, and other systems for one or more houses) while having the newdevices seamlessly integrated into the users' ecosystems and having themregistered and updated and accessible locally and remotely. Features ofthe disclosure may be implemented on backend systems (e.g., a cell phoneprovider system, a data network provider system, a cloud based system,and/or other remote system), gateways (e.g., set top boxes, alarmpanels, computers, hubs, or other devices providing access points to abackend system), and end devices (e.g., sensors, cameras, infrareddetectors, clocks, electronic picture frames, garage door openers,climate control, lighting systems, etc.).

In accordance with some aspects of the disclosure, a method, system, andapparatus are disclosed in which a computing device (e.g., anapplication server) may identify a target premises to be associated withan end device (e.g., a wireless end device, such as a security sensor,camera, etc.). In some embodiments, it may be desirable to determine aset of one or more candidate gateways in proximity (e.g., 10 meters, 20meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters, and/or 500 meters) to anyreference point or location, such as the target premises, and monitorsome, or all, information received from the candidate gateways. Forexample, when a new end device is purchased and brought into a locationsuch as a premises, the device may find numerous gateways to which itmay connect. For example, each premises may have a number of gateways,adjacent premises may have a number of gateways, and/or there may bevarious other network options such as different network protocols and/orwireless protocols associated with a local and/or remote gateway. Thedevice may have a wide selection of candidate gateway options and/orprotocols on which to potentially connect. The end user device mayevaluate each of the candidate gateways based on, for example, signalstrength, type of gateway, protocol, types of systems activelyassociated with the gateway, and/or service provider and/or backendsystems associated with the gateway.

Alternatively, and/or additionally, the device may monitor multiplegateways and await an appropriate signal from one of the gateways toinitiate a provisioning procedure. Embodiments may further includeevaluating information transferred to and/or from one or more gatewaysto determine whether the end device has been detected. In someembodiments, the backend system may detect the end device even if itconnects to an undesired gateway (e.g., a neighboring gateway as opposedto a gateway at the target premises, a non-preferred gateway at thetarget premises, etc.).

The method may also include a step of associating the end device withthe target premises. The associating may include determining a useraccount in association with the target premises and identifyinginformation (e.g., network information) available (e.g., stored) inassociation with the user account. The step of associating may alsoinclude updating a profile associated with the target premises toinclude information describing the end device (e.g., indicating a typeor model number of the end device).

Further, the method may include transmitting network information (e.g.,a network SSID, such as a home network SSID, a network password, such asa home network password, etc.) of the target premises to the end device.In some embodiments, a communication may include instructing a targetgateway at the target premises to transmit the network information tothe end device. The end device then may reconnect to the gateway at thetarget premises using the transmitted network information instead of apreconfigured activation SSID, for example, which may be common tomultiple gateways at different premises. For example, a user might usean application on his/her smartphone, tablet, or another device to scana bar code on the device and have the device be automatically grantedaccess rights to the network, provisioned, and registered with anyremote systems. Alternatively, the user might simply type in a serialnumber or select a device from a pull down menu on a local and/or cloudbased application. In some embodiments, the device might simply beplaced in proximity to a gateway (e.g., a security panel), and aproximity sensor and/or RFID may be used to automatically detect,provision, and register the device.

In certain embodiments, a computing device (e.g., a remote and/or localserver) may receive a request to activate an end device at a targetpremises (e.g., a particular home or business); identify a particulargateway from among a plurality of gateways based on the request; andtransmit an instruction to the particular gateway at the target premisesto transmit a particular activation SSID, which may be a dedicated SSIDthat is hidden from users (e.g., users residing or working at the targetpremises and/or users visiting the target premises). The computingdevice may also monitor information from various gateways to determinewhether the end device is connected to one of the gateways; andtransmit, or instruct one of the gateways to transmit, networkinformation (e.g., a home SSID or business SSID) to the end device. As aresult, the end device may connect to a local wireless network at thetarget premises. Further, the computing device may associate the enddevice with a user account (e.g., which may correspond to a user accountestablished at a local and/or remote location to receive variousservices, such as television, home security, home monitoring, HVACcontrol, sensor monitoring, camera monitoring, etc.).

In another aspect, a method includes receiving a request to connect anend device to a network at a target premises; detecting that the enddevice is connected to a different network (e.g., a neighboring localwireless network) than the network at the target premises; andtransmitting an instruction to change an SSID (e.g., from an activationSSID which may be hidden to users to another SSID) of the end device toconnect the end device to the network at the target premises. To detectwhether the end device is connected to different network, a backendsystem may evaluate information received from a set of candidategateways, which may correspond to all gateways within a certainproximity to an area, such as the target premises. Additionally, aspectsof the present disclosure teach computing devices, having processor(s)and memory storing computer-executable instructions, and otherapparatuses to perform the above steps and other steps for provisioningan end device with a backend system.

This summary is not intended to identify critical or essential featuresor provide an exhaustive listing of novel features disclosed herein, butinstead merely summarizes certain features and variations thereof. Theseand other details and features will be further described in the sectionsthat follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some features herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network on which variousfeatures described herein may be used.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example computing device and softwareconfiguration that can be used to implement any of the methods, servers,entities, and computing devices described herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an environment in which one or more illustrativeaspects described herein may be implemented.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating an example methodaccording to various aspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5C are diagrams illustrating some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating additional aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various illustrative embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a parthereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, variousembodiments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It isto be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structuraland functional modifications may be made, without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

By way of introduction, the various features described herein may allowa user to connect a wireless device to their home (or business or otherpremises) network and provision that device with a backend system (e.g.,a service provider system) without entering device or local networkinformation. Aspects of this disclosure include a single action (e.g.,one-click, one swipe, and/or one association) process by which a usermay connect, provision, and/or register wireless devices. As a result,users may purchase or otherwise obtain wireless devices from any storeor source on-line and seamlessly integrate them into their network(e.g., a local security system). Moreover, as the wireless devices areconnected to the local network, they may be provisioned with a backendsystem without further outside assistance (e.g., assistance from atechnician of the service provider), and registered on that remotesystem. Provisioning wireless devices with a remote system (e.g., abackend system) may enable users to take advantage of additionalservices, allow the devices to be controlled and/or monitored remotely,and/or allow the devices to receive updates. For example, backendsystems may provide software updates for wireless devices on a localnetwork, remote storage of information obtained by wireless devices onthe local network, and remote processing of information obtained bywireless devices. In some cases, unless a wireless device is provisionedwith a backend system, users might not be taking advantage of the fullcapabilities of the wireless device and service offerings.

Aspects of the disclosure account for the possibility that a wirelessdevice could latch on to the wrong local network. For example, a systemas described herein may ensure that a wireless device is connected tothe proper home network and not a neighbor's home network or othernearby network. In urban areas (e.g., cities) or where multiple localnetworks are in close proximity (e.g., apartment buildings, officebuildings, etc.), there may be more concern that wireless devices areconnected to the wrong network. The system of the instant disclosure mayovercome this obstacle by having the backend system provision thewireless device and determine which local network information (e.g., aservice set identifier (SSID)) should be sent to the wireless device. Inthis regard, the backend system may instruct a local network gateway(e.g., home gateway) to provide the local network information to the newwireless device or may directly communicate with the wireless device toprovide the proper local network information.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network 100 on which many ofthe various features described herein, such as providing an activationportal and exchanging communications to automatically provision wirelessdevices to connect them to a network (e.g., a local network) at apremises (e.g., a home, business, etc.), may be implemented. Network 100may be any type of information distribution network, such as satellite,telephone, cellular, wireless, etc. One example may be an optical fibernetwork, a coaxial cable network, or a hybrid fiber/coax distributionnetwork. Such networks 100 use a series of interconnected communicationlinks 101 (e.g., coaxial cables, optical fibers, wireless, etc.) toconnect multiple premises 102 (e.g., businesses, homes, consumerdwellings, etc.) to a local office or headend 103. The local office 103may transmit downstream information signals onto the links 101, and eachpremises 102 may have a receiver used to receive and process thosesignals.

There may be one link 101 originating from the local office 103, and itmay be split a number of times to distribute the signal to variouspremises 102 in the vicinity (which may be many miles) of the localoffice 103. The links 101 may include components not illustrated, suchas splitters, filters, amplifiers, etc. to help convey the signalclearly, although each split may introduce some degradation. Portions ofthe links 101 may also be implemented with fiber-optic cable, whileother portions may be implemented with coaxial cable, other lines, orwireless communication paths. By running fiber optic cable along someportions, for example, signal degradation may be significantlyminimized, allowing a single local office 103 to reach even farther withits network of links 101.

The local office 103 may include an interface, such as a terminationsystem (TS) 104. More specifically, the interface 104 may be a cablemodem termination system (CMTS), which may be a computing deviceconfigured to manage communications between devices on the network oflinks 101 and backend devices such as servers 105-107 (to be discussedfurther below). The interface 104 may be a device as specified in astandard, such as the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification(DOCSIS) standard, published by Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.(a.k.a. CableLabs), or it may be a similar or modified device instead.The interface 104 may be configured to place data on one or moredownstream frequencies to be received by modems at the various premises102, and to receive upstream communications from those modems on one ormore upstream frequencies. For example, the interface 104 may transmitand receive one or more Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG) data streams,such as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 streams.

The local office 103 may also include one or more network interfaces108, which can permit the local office 103 to communicate with variousother external networks 109. These networks 109 may include, forexample, networks of Internet devices, telephone networks, cellulartelephone networks, fiber optic networks, local wireless networks (e.g.,WiMAX), satellite networks, and any other desired network, and thenetwork interface 108 may include the corresponding circuitry needed tocommunicate on the external networks 109, and to other devices on thenetwork such as a cellular telephone network and its corresponding cellphones.

As noted above, the local office 103 may include a variety of servers105-107 that may be configured to perform various functions. Forexample, the local office 103 may include a push notification server105. The push notification server 105 may generate push notifications todeliver data and/or commands to the various premises 102 in the network(or more specifically, to the devices in the premises 102 that areconfigured to detect such notifications). The local office 103 may alsoinclude a content server 106. The content server 106 may be one or morecomputing devices that are configured to provide content to users attheir premises. This content may be, for example, video on demandmovies, television programs, songs, text listings, etc. The contentserver 106 may include software to validate user identities andentitlements, to locate and retrieve requested content, to encrypt thecontent, and to initiate delivery (e.g., streaming) of the content tothe requesting user(s) and/or device(s).

The local office 103 may also include one or more application servers107. An application server 107 may be a computing device configured tooffer any desired service, and may run various languages and operatingsystems (e.g., servlets and JSP pages running on Tomcat/MySQL, OSX, BSD,Ubuntu, Redhat, HTML5, JavaScript, AJAX and COMET). For example, anapplication server 107 may be responsible for collecting televisionprogram listings information and generating a data download forelectronic program guide listings. Another application server 107 may beresponsible for monitoring user viewing habits and collecting thatinformation for use in selecting advertisements. Yet another applicationserver 107 may be responsible for formatting and insertingadvertisements in a video stream being transmitted to the premises 102.In some embodiments, the application server 107 may be configured toprovide a backend provisioning system. For example, the applicationserver 107 may include one or more processors and memory storingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, causes the application server 107 to provision an end device(e.g., a wireless device) for inclusion within a network (e.g., a localnetwork, such as a home network) and register the end device with a useraccount or premises account. The application server 107 may include itsown backend provisioning database to store user account information andcorresponding network information and/or billing information. Forexample, a backend provisioning database may store a user account inassociation with local network information (e.g., a home SSID, password,gateway identifier or serial number, gateway MAC address, etc.),information identifying services available to a user, and/or informationidentifying each of the devices and features thereof. The applicationserver 107 may also include a billing server to track billing forcertain services of the backend provisioning system.

Although shown separately, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the push server 105, content server 106, and applicationserver 107 may be combined. Further, here the push server 105, contentserver 106, and application server 107 are shown generally, and it willbe understood that they may each contain memory storing computerexecutable instructions to cause a processor to perform steps describedherein and/or memory for storing data, such as information foridentifying a user account.

An example premises 102 a, such as a home or business, may include aninterface 110. The interface 110 may include computer-executableinstructions (e.g., an application or program) for performing one ormore aspects of the disclosure, such as providing an activation portal(e.g., web portal) for users to initiate activation of a device. Theinterface 110 can include any communication circuitry needed to allow adevice to communicate on one or more links 101 with other devices in thenetwork. For example, the interface 110 may include a modem 111, whichmay include transmitters and receivers used to communicate on the links101 and with the local office 103. The modem 111 may be, for example, acoaxial cable modem (for coaxial cable lines 101), a fiber interfacenode (for fiber optic lines 101), a twisted-pair telephone modem, acellular telephone transceiver, a satellite transceiver, a local Wi-Firouter or access point, or any other desired modem device. Also,although only one modem 111 is shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of modems111 operating in parallel may be implemented within the interface 110.

Further, the interface 110 may include a gateway 112. The modem 111 maybe connected to, or be a part of, the gateway 112. The gateway 112 maybe a computing device that communicates with the modem(s) 111 to allowone or more other devices in the premises 102 a, to communicate with thelocal office 103 and other devices beyond the local office 103. Thegateway 112 may be a set-top box (STB), digital video recorder (DVR),computer server, media hub, home automation controller, alarm panel, orany other desired computing device. The gateway 112 may also include(not shown) local network interfaces to provide communication signals torequesting entities/devices in the premises 102 a, such as displaydevices 113 (e.g., televisions), additional STBs 114, personal computers115, laptop computers 116, wireless devices 117 (e.g., sensors, wirelesslaptops, notebooks, tablets and netbooks, cordless phones (e.g., DigitalEnhanced Cordless Telephone (DECT) phones), mobile phones, mobiletelevisions, personal digital assistants (PDA), and other end devices),landline phones 118 (e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones), awireless router 119 or other hub, and any other desired devices (e.g.,an alarm panel). Examples of the local network interfaces includeMultimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA) interfaces, Ethernet interfaces,universal serial bus (USB) interfaces, wireless interfaces (e.g., IEEE802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.1x), analog twisted pairinterfaces, Bluetooth interfaces, ZigBee interfaces, and others.

FIG. 2 illustrates general hardware elements that can be used toimplement any of the various computing devices (e.g., gateways, backendsystem devices, end devices, etc.) discussed herein. For example,elements of computing device 200 may be used to implement the interface110 of FIG. 1. The computing device 200 may include one or moreprocessors 201, which may execute instructions of a computer program toperform any of the features described herein. The instructions may bestored in any type of computer-readable medium or memory, to configurethe operation of the processor 201. For example, instructions may bestored in a read-only memory (ROM) 202, random access memory (RAM) 203,removable media 204, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, compactdisk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk drive, or anyother desired storage medium. Instructions may also be stored in anattached (or internal) hard drive 205.

The computing device 200 may include one or more output devices, such asa display 206 (e.g., an external television, LED screen, LCD screen,etc.) or speakers, and may include one or more output device controllers207, such as a video processor. Further, the computing device mayinclude an input device interface 208 (e.g., infrared (IR) interface,Near Field Communication (NFC) interface, radio frequency identification(RFID) reader, etc.) for communicating with one or more user inputdevices 209, such as a remote control, keyboard, mouse, touch screen,microphone, camera, etc. The computing device 200 may also include oneor more network interfaces, such as a network input/output (I/O) circuit210 (e.g., a network card) to communicate with an external network 211.The network input/output circuit 210 may be a wired interface, wirelessinterface, or a combination of the two. In some embodiments, the networkinput/output circuit 210 may include a modem (e.g., a cable modem), andthe external network 211 may include the communication links 101discussed above, the external network 109, an in-home network, aprovider's wireless, coaxial, fiber, or hybrid fiber/coaxialdistribution system (e.g., a DOCSIS network), or any other desirednetwork.

The FIG. 2 example is a hardware configuration. Modifications may bemade to add, remove, combine, divide, etc. components of the computingdevice 200 as desired. Additionally, the components illustrated may beimplemented using basic computing devices and components, and the samecomponents (e.g., processor 201, ROM storage 202, display 206, etc.) maybe used to implement any of the other computing devices and componentsdescribed herein. For example, the various components herein may beimplemented using computing devices having components such as aprocessor executing computer-executable instructions stored on acomputer-readable medium, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Some or all of theentities described herein may be software based, and may co-exist in acommon physical platform (e.g., a requesting entity can be a separatesoftware process and program from a dependent entity, both of which maybe executed as software on a common computing device). Additionally, thecomputing device 200 may include a provisioning manager 201 a, which canperform the various methods for provisioning a wireless device describedherein, as a replacement for, or augment to, any other processor 201that the computing device 200 may include. That is, the provisioningmanager 201 a may include a separate processor and/or set ofcomputer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable mediumthat, when executed by a processor, cause the processor (or thecomputing device 200 as a whole) to perform the various methods of thepresent disclosure, such as providing an activation portal, transmittingSSIDs, and identifying a wireless device. The provisioning manager 201 amay also include secure memory (not shown), which can store the varioususer account information, encryption information, and SSID informationdescribed herein. The secure memory can be any desired type of memory,and can have enhanced security features to help restrict access (e.g.,can only be accessed by the provisioning manager 201 a, can be internalto the provisioning manager 201 a, etc.). Where the provisioning manager201 a includes a separate set of computer-executable instructions, theseinstructions may be secured such that only authorized users may beallowed to modify, augment, or delete them.

In some embodiments, the provisioning manager 201 a may be implementedas an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). That is, theprovisioning manager 201 a may be a chip designed specifically forperforming the various processes described herein. Further, the ASIC maybe implemented within or in communication with various computing devicesprovided herein.

One or more aspects of the disclosure may be embodied in computer-usabledata and/or computer-executable instructions, such as in one or moreprogram modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices.Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks orimplement particular abstract data types when executed by a processor ina computer or other data processing device. The computer executableinstructions may be stored on one or more computer readable media suchas a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media, solid statememory, RAM, etc. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, thefunctionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed asdesired in various embodiments. In addition, the functionality may beembodied in whole or in part in firmware or hardware equivalents such asintegrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and thelike. Particular data structures may be used to more effectivelyimplement one or more aspects of the disclosure, and such datastructures are contemplated within the scope of computer executableinstructions and computer-usable data described herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example operating environment 300 inwhich various features described herein may be performed andimplemented. As shown in the FIG. 3, the environment 300 may includeindoor and/or outdoor areas associated with one or more premises 301,302 (which may correspond to the premises 102 of FIG. 1), such as a userresidence, business, recreational facility, public building, open-airspace, etc. Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates a first premises 301 and asecond premises 302. The first premises 301 and the second premises 302may be neighboring (or closely proximate) premises (e.g., neighboringhouses or two apartments in the same building or nearby buildings). Boththe first premises 301 and the second premises 302 may be serviced bythe same local office 303 (which may correspond to the local office 103of FIG. 1), such as a regional office of a network service provider. Thelocal office 303 may connect to a gateway 304 (which may correspond tothe interface 110 or gateway 112 of FIG. 1) located in/near each of thepremises 301, 302. The gateway 304 may be connected to various wired orwireless devices, such as a display device, such as a television,tablet, cell phone, and/or other display device 305. The gateway 304 mayalso be connected to one or more alarm panels 306 via a wired and/orwireless connection. By way of example, in the embodiment shown in FIG.3, the gateway 304 in premises 301 may be connected to an alarm panel306 via a wired connection, while the gateway 304 in premises 302 may beconnected to an alarm panel via a wireless connection.

The premises 301, 302 may also have one or more doors 307, one or morewindows 308, and one or more garage doors 309. Notably, end devices 310may be placed at each premises 301, 302. The end devices 310 maycommunicate directly or indirectly to the gateway 304 at the samepremises via wired or wireless connections. The end devices 310 may alsocommunicate with other end devices 310 via wired or wirelessconnections. Examples of end devices 310 may include sensors (e.g.,security sensors, such as proximity sensors, contact switches, motiondetectors, etc.), cameras, cell phones, baby monitors, and audio/videodevices. However, the end devices 310 are not limited to these examples,and may be any other device that may connect to the gateway 304 tobecome a part of the local network of the premises. Accordingly, variousstructural differences among the end devices 310 may exist. Some enddevices 310 may include user interfaces (e.g., buttons, screens,microphones and speakers, etc.) through which users may provideinformation to the end device 310 or ascertain information from the enddevice 310, while other end devices 310 might not have suchsophisticated user interfaces. For example, some end devices 310 mightonly have an on/off switch for users to control (without taking the enddevice apart and/or reprogramming the end device).

Further, different end points 310 may serve different functions andtrigger different events. For example, an end device 310 may be a motiondetector in proximity to a door 307 or window 308 of the first premises301, and may cause a light to turn on and/or an alarm to sound (or sendinformation to an alarm panel or the gateway 304 to take such actions).FIG. 3 also shows that client devices 310 may be cameras for monitoringthe outside of the first premises 301 or the inside of the secondpremises 302. Some end devices 310 may be mobile and may move about thepremises 301, 302. Indeed, some end devices 310 may even leave thepremises 301, 302 and return to the same premises 301, 302 or be movedto a new premises.

In light of the example diagram of FIG. 3, various features may berealized. For example, a display device, such as the television 305, maybe used to interface with and control settings of any of the one or moreend devices 310. A user may, therefore, use his/her television 305 toview data collected by the end devices 310, such as images captured by acamera 310, or view status information of the end devices, such asinformation indicating which end devices 310 are active and/or workingproperly. The television 305 may also be used to configure one or moreof the end devices 310. This may especially be helpful where the enddevices 310 do not have their own user interfaces or where their ownuser interfaces are difficult to use (e.g., have smaller screens orrequire more steps).

As mentioned above, the gateways 304 of FIG. 3 may communicate with thelocal office 303. Moreover, the gateways 304 may communicate withexternal networks through the local office 303. For example, a gateway304 may communicate with a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 311or a Wide Area Network (WAN) 312, such as the Internet. In someembodiments, the gateway 304 may communicate directly (e.g., withoutgoing through the local office 303) with such external networks.

In some cases, the local office 303 may be configured to communicatedirectly with a public safety answering point (PSAP) 313. In othercases, the gateway 304 may connect to a PSAP 313 through the PSTN 311.Thus, the gateway 304 may be used to communicate emergencies (such as abreak in, fire, medical emergency, etc.) to the proper authorities sothat help may be dispatched to the appropriate premises 301, 302. Also,through the PSTN 311, the gateway 304 may connect to a cellular backhaul(e.g., including cell towers, base stations, etc.) 314 and ultimately toa cellular device 315. Given the connection of the gateway 304 to thePSTN 314 and cellular backhaul, a user in premises 301 may operatehis/her television 305 to send/receive a call or text message to acellular device 315.

Further, through the WAN 312, the gateway 304 may connect to amonitoring entity 316. The monitoring entity 316 may be affiliated withthe entity controlling the local office 303 or a separate third partyentity. The monitory entity 316 may include devices and personnel formonitoring information sent from the premises 301, 302 through theirgateways 304. The monitoring entity 316 may evaluate information sent byend devices 310 to determine whether there is an emergency, and maydispatch help accordingly. Also, through the WAN 312, the gateway 304may connect to a web portal server 317. The web portal server 317 may bea computing device capable of providing a web portal that users mayaccess on any device connected to the WAN 312 (e.g., any IP connecteddevice, such as a smartphone, tablet, etc.). Users may access the webportal to view their account information, edit their accountinformation, and/or provision end devices 310 as described furtherherein.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, the local office 303 may include a backendsystem configured to provision the end devices. The backend system ofthe local office 303 may receive information from the gateways and sendinstructions to the gateways 304. The backend system of the local office103 may also communicate with the end devices 310 through the gateway304. Such communications may be directly with the end devices 310 (wherethe backend system addresses information packets to specific end devices310) or indirectly (where the backend system addresses informationpackets to the gateway 304 and designates which end device 310 theinformation packets pertain to). The backend system of the local office303 may also control communications through either the PSTN 311 or WAN312 and may communicate with any other entity (e.g., PSAP 313 ormonitoring entity 316). In particular, the backend system of the localoffice 303 may be configured to exchange information (e.g., user accountinformation) with the web portal server 317. In some embodiments, theweb portal server 318 may be implemented in the local office 303 (e.g.,as an application server 107 of the local office 303).

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of the presentapplication in which a backend system may provision a wireless deviceconnected or connecting to a local network. Using this method, thebackend system may automatically discover wireless devices that areadded to a local network and activate the wireless device so thatrelated services may be provided. Moreover, this method permits thebackend system to provision the wireless device without requiring a userto enter wireless network (e.g., WiFi) related information. Inparticular, FIG. 4 provides a single action (e.g., one click)methodology for backend provisioning of a wireless device (and wireddevices as well).

The method of FIG. 4 begins with a step 400 of providing an end device310. The end device may be an off-the-shelf device or an operatorprovided device. For example, users may purchase an end device from aretailer, which may be separate from an entity providing a backendsystem. Alternatively, the end device 310 may be provided (e.g.,shipped) to the user. In any event, the user may bring the end device310 onto his/her premises (e.g., into his/her home) without the presenceof personnel associated with the backend system. In other words, theuser may introduce the end device 310 into his/her home and attempt toactivate the end device 310 without the presence of an employee (e.g., atechnician) of an entity controlling the backend system.

In the description of FIG. 4 below, it is assumed that the end device310 is a wireless end device (e.g., a web camera or other web sensor)that is configured to wirelessly connect (e.g., via a WiFi connection)to the gateway 304 of a premises 301, 302. It is also assumed that thewireless end device does not have a user interface (or other inputconsole) that allows a user to enter network configuration information(e.g., SSIDs, IP addresses, MAC addresses, etc.). Nevertheless, itshould be understood that the processes of FIG. 4 may be implementedusing an end device 310 that connects via a wired connection to thegateway 304 and/or that has a user interface for entering networkconfiguration information.

In step 405, a user may access an activation portal when the user isready to activate the wireless end device 310. The user may be informedof the activation portal by instructions in a manual accompanying (orotherwise available for) the wireless end device 310. Such instructionscould also be provided on the wireless end device itself, on a label ofthe wireless end device, or on packaging of the wireless end device.There may be various ways in which to implement the activation portal,and thus, various ways in which to reach the activation portal.Accordingly, the instructions may indicate multiple ways in which theuser may access the activation portal.

In some embodiments, the activation portal may be implemented as a webpage. The web page may be stored on a host computing device andaccessible using a web browser. In such cases, a user may be instructedto visit the web page and may be provided with a uniform resourcelocator (URL), a link (e.g., where the instructions are providedelectronically they may include a link that opens and directs a webbrowser to the appropriate web page), or other address that will allowthe user to find the web page. A user may navigate to the web page usingany IP connected device, such as a smartphone, tablet, PC, laptop, STB,DVR, etc., configured to execute a web browser. Once the user navigatesto the activation portal, the user may be prompted to enterauthentication information (e.g., a username and/or password). Thisauthentication information may be specific to an individual, a premises(e.g., a particular home), or a group of premises (e.g., a group ofproperties owned by the same person, company, or organization). Afterthe authentication information is entered, it may be transmitted andsubmitted to the backend system which may determine whether toauthenticate the user. If the entered authentication information matchesauthentication information associated with a user account stored by thebackend system or a device connected thereto, the backend system mayauthorize the device hosting the activation portal to permit the user tolog-into the activation portal.

Once logged into the activation portal, an activation screen 500 asillustrated in FIG. 5A may be shown by the web browser. The activationscreen 500 may be the same web page as the log-in web page or anotherweb page of the same website as the log-in page. If more than onepremises is associated with the user account, the user may select whichpremises the wireless end device 310 is to be affiliated with. Forexample, if a person owns two homes, that person may choose which homethe wireless end device 310 is to be used at. The user accountinformation may specify a default premises so that the user might nothave to choose a target premises. With the target premises selected, theuser may select an activate device option 501 (e.g., a virtual button ona touchscreen or similar link). In response to selecting the activatedevice option 501, the device executing the web browser (e.g., a user'ssmartphone, tablet, PC, etc.), or the device hosting the web page (orany other device), may send a signal to the backend system. This signalmay include information indicating that a device is to be activated at apremises, as well as information identifying the premises (or geographiclocation of a premises, e.g., a physical address, geographicalcoordinates, IP address, etc.). The information may be included withinIP packets (e.g., IPv4 or IPv6 packets) and transmitted over the WAN 312(e.g., Internet) to the backend system in the local office 303.

Alternatively, the activation portal may be implemented as a screenstored on the gateway 304. For example, a user may go to a menu screenon their STB and navigate to the activation portal screen. Image datafor providing the activation portal screen may be preconfigured on theSTB or may be downloaded to the STB from the local office 303. In somecases, the activation portal screen may be included within an electronicprogramming guide or similar menu that is downloaded intermittently orperiodically (e.g., each day in the middle of the night). An example ofthe activation portal screen accessible via the gateway 304 (e.g., anSTB) is illustrated in FIG. 5B. As shown in FIG. 5B, the activationportal screen 510 may simply include an activation device option 511 (ofcourse other information may also be added to the screen). A user mayselect the activation device option 511 by operating a remote control(e.g., television remote control or STB remote control). In response toselecting the activate device option 511, the gateway 304 may sendinformation upstream to the local office 303 indicating that a wirelessdevice is to be activated at the premises. This information may alsoinclude information identifying the gateway 304 (e.g., a STB ID).Notably, a user might not have to log-in to the activation portal whenaccessing it through the gateway 304. The local office 303 may storeinformation correlating gateway IDs with the location of a premises, sothe local office 303 may learn the location of the premises from thegateway ID. Alternatively, the gateway 304 may be associated with aparticular premises and may store information indicating the location ofthat premises which it may then send to the local office 303 when theuser selects the activate device option 511.

In yet another example, the activation portal may be implemented as ascreen within a computer-executable program. The user may access theactivation portal by launching a program using any computing device,such as a tablet, smartphone, gateway 304, PC, etc. The program may beused for other purposes as well, like for scheduling television shows,movies, and other content to record, or for controlling a home securitysystem. The program may have been previously configured with the useraccount information, and thus, may be associated with a particularpremises or group of premises. The program may automaticallyauthenticate the user, so the user might not have to log-in as whenaccessing the activation portal using a web browser. FIG. 5C illustratesan example of an activation portal screen 520 displayed by a programlaunched and executing on a computing device. The illustrativeactivation portal screen 520 of FIG. 5C is shown as being similar to theweb page of FIG. 5A, although it is not accessed by a web browser. Whenthe activate device option 521 is selected, the program may cause thecomputing device it is being executed on to send a signal to the backendsystem. This signal may include information indicating that a device isto be activated at a premises, as well as information identifying thepremises (or geographic location of a premises, e.g., a physicaladdress, geographical coordinates, etc.). The information may beincluded within IP packets (e.g., IPv4 or IPv6 packets) and transmittedover the WAN 312 (e.g., Internet) to the backend system in the localoffice 303.

As shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, each of the activation portals described aboveprovides a single action (e.g., one click, one swipe, one command, etc.)process for provisioning the wireless device. Image recognitionprocesses (e.g., identifying a gesture) and/or audio recognitionprocesses may also be used to detect a user's selection of an activatedevice option 501, 511, 521. After the activate device option 501, 511,521 is selected, the user might not be required to enter any otherinformation. The single act of selecting the activate device option 501,511, 521 will trigger the backend system to provision the wireless enddevice 310 and activate the wireless end device 310 without furtherinput from the user as further described below.

In some embodiments, after the active device option 501, 511, 521 isselected, a screen may be displayed (either by the web browser, STB, orprogram) instructing the user to turn on the wireless end device 310. Inparticular, the instructions may indicate a time frame (e.g., within thenext 10 minutes) in which the user is advised to turn on the wirelessend device 310. The time frames may be fixed or may vary. Shouldstatistical data indicate that people need more time to turn on thewireless end devices 310, the time frames may be lengthened. In somecases, the screen providing the time frame may continue to be displayeduntil the time frame comes to an end. In other words, if, for example, aweb page includes a message advising the user to turn on the wirelessend device 310 within the next 10 minutes, that web page may bedisplayed for 10 minutes and then refresh to remove the message. In someexamples, the screen may include a clock showing the user how much timehe/she has left to turn on the device. If the user fails to turn on thedevice within the time frame provided, he/she might have to re-selectthe activate device option 501, 511, 521 to activate the device.Moreover, after displaying the screen with instructions to turn on thewireless end device 310, the activation portal may be exited. Forexample, in the case where a web browser is used to access theactivation portal, the user may be logged out automatically. Or, in thecase where a program is launched, the program may close or return to ahome screen.

In some embodiments, rather than navigate to an activation portal,various other actions may be taken to indicate the desire to activate adevice. For example, the wireless end device (or its packaging) may beconfigured with an RFID tag. In such a case, the RFID tag may be placedwithin range of an RFID reader (which may be connected to a gateway 304)to trigger a gateway 304 to send information to the backend systemindicating a user's intention to connect an end device to a localnetwork at the premises. Alternatively, NFC communication may be used tosend a signal from the end device to an NFC interface coupled to agateway 304 in order to trigger the backend system to begin theprovisioning process. In light of these examples, further actions shouldbe understood as being within the scope of this disclosure.

After step 405, the backend system may identify the premises at whichthe user intends to activate a wireless device at step 410.Specifically, in response to receiving information indicating that anactivate device option 501, 511, 521 was selected, the backend systemmay identify the corresponding premises at step 410. Step 410 mayinclude comparing user account information, premises locationinformation, and/or gateway IDs in the information received with useraccount information stored in the backend system (e.g., in applicationserver 107) or in a device coupled to the backend system (e.g., adatabase internal or external to the local office 103 and coupled toapplication server 107) to discover matches. Referring to FIG. 3, if auser selects the activate device option 511 using the gateway 304 in thepremises 301, the backend system of the local office may identify thepremises 301 at step 410 because it knows that gateway 304 of premises301 is associated with premises 301. Alternatively, if a user associatedwith premises 301 (e.g., lives at premises 301, works at premises 301,or pays the bill for receiving services through the gateway 304 atpremises 301) accesses the activation portal via a web browser using atablet and selects the activate device option 501, the backend systemmay identify that an end device is to be added to premises 301 at step410 based on user account information of the user logged into theactivation portal.

In step 415, the backend system may determine a set of candidategateways to monitor. As described herein, the wireless end device 310may connect to an unintended local wireless network. For example, thewireless end device 310 may connect to a local wireless network at aneighboring premises. Referring to FIG. 3, for example, a user inpremises 301 may attempt to incorporate a new wireless end device 310into a local network at premises 301, but when the wireless end device310 is turned on for the first time, it might connect to a local networkat premises 302. In light of this circumstance, the backend system mayinclude the gateway 304 on premises 302 in its set of candidate gatewaysto monitor. Thus, if the wireless end device 310 undesirably connects tothe gateway 304 on premises 302, the backend system may still identifythe wireless end device 310.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an aspect of the present disclosurerelated to determining the set of candidate gateways at step 415. FIG. 6provides a high-level perspective of a network 600, such as a serviceprovider network, including a plurality of gateways 304 located atvarious premises 102. FIG. 6 illustrates that the gateways may bedistributed on five different branches, e.g., Branches 1-5. Gateways 304on a common branch may be serviced by a common local node.

Referring to FIG. 6, if a wireless end device 310 is to be connected ata first target gateway Target 1, then the backend system at the localoffice 103 may determine that all gateways 304 in Zone 1 are candidatesthat should be monitored to detect a new wireless end device 310. Inthis case, Zone 1 may correspond to all gateways on the same branch,Branch 2. In another case, where the wireless end device 310 is to beconnected at a second target gateway Target 2, the backend system maydetermine that all gateways in Zone 2 are candidates that should bemonitored to detect a new wireless end device 310. Here, Zone 2 mayinclude all gateways 304 in the network 600 within a certain distance of(e.g., radius from) the second target gateway Target 2. The local office303 may store the geographical coordinates of each gateway 304 in thenetwork 600. Therefore, the local office 303 may use this information todetermine which gateways 304 are within a predetermined distance (e.g.,50 meters, 100 meters, 250 meters, 500 meters, etc.) from thegeographical location of the target gateway so that it may establish aset of candidate gateways. Additionally, or alternatively, the backendsystem may receive an IP address of a device used to access theactivation portal, and identify candidate gateways in the surroundingarea based on the IP address.

Returning to FIG. 4, after determining the candidate gateways, thebackend system may begin monitoring information received from thecandidates at step 420. This monitoring may include separatelyevaluating some or all data received at local office 303 from thecandidate gateways 304 to determine whether any portion of the dataindicates that a new end device 310 is being added to a local network.When a new end device 310 is added to a local network, the gateway 304of that local network may generate data and send the data to the localoffice 303. The data may include a header or other informationindicating that the data relates to an end device 310 that has beennewly added to a local network. For example, a gateway 304 in accordancewith the present disclosure may generate a data structure, includinginformation (e.g., a predetermined code) representing that a new enddevice 310 has been added as well as information describing the enddevice 310 (e.g., information indicating a type of end device, serialnumber of the end device, or model of the end device). Use of such adata structure may facilitate quick evaluation of whether any candidategateways 304 are reporting new end devices 310. The local office 303 (orbackend system) may receive numerous data (e.g., requests for content,requests for service, responses to polls, etc.) from gateways 304 and/orother devices, so the data structure and backend system may beconfigured (e.g., programmed) to readily discern the data structure(having information regarding a new end device) from other types ofdata. In some embodiments, the data structure may include an IP addressand/or MAC address of the end device 310 and/or an IP address and/or MACaddress of the gateway 304 transmitting the data structure.

Also at step 420, the backend system may store a start time at which thebackend system begins to monitor the candidate gateways. The start timemay be an actual time (e.g., 1:15 pm) based on universal time or apseudo-time based on an internal clock. The backend system may storesuch a time so that it can keep track of how long it has been monitoringthe candidate gateways 304. In some embodiments, if a predeterminedamount of time elapses from the start time, the backend system may stopmonitoring the candidate gateways 304.

In step 425, a user may be directed to turn on the wireless end device310. Step 425 may be optional. In some embodiments, where the user isdirected to turn on the wireless end device 310 immediately afterselecting the activate device options 501, 511, 521 in the activationportal as described above, a separate step of directing the user to turnon the wireless device might not be performed at step 425. Still, insome embodiments, step 425 may be performed in addition to directing theuser in the activation portal. In step 425, a pop-up message may bedisplayed on a display device 113 (e.g., a television) connected to thegateway 304 to direct the user to turn on the device. For example, aftera user at premises 301 choses to activate an end device 310 (e.g., usinga tablet or smartphone), a pop-up message may be displayed on thetelevision 305 at the premises 301 to instruct the user to turn on theend device 310. Displaying the pop-up message may include turning on thedisplay device 113 if it is off, or may include displaying a separatewindow overlaying content being displayed on the display device 113.Additionally, or alternatively, the message to direct the user to turnon the end device 310 may be displayed on a screen (e.g., LED screen) ofthe gateway 304. The message could also be in the form of an audiomessage output through speakers (e.g., speakers of a display device 113or a separate audio system). In some embodiments, the audio message maybe a short sound bit (e.g., a beep/chime or series of beeps/chimes) thatsymbolize to the user that he/she should turn on the wireless end device310. Similarly, the message may be in the form of a light (e.g., greenlight) or a blinking light to symbolize to the user that the wirelessend device 310 should be turned on.

Step 425 may be performed in response to receiving a signal from thebackend system (or local office 303) at the gateway 304 where the useris attempting to connect the wireless end device 310. The signal may besent when the backend system starts monitoring in step 420.Alternatively, the gateway 304 may be triggered to direct the user toturn on the end device 310 by the activation portal. The activationportal may cause the gateway 304 to output a message after apredetermined amount of time from the time at which the user selects theactivate device option 501, 511, 521. This predetermined amount of timemay correspond to an estimated amount of time that it takes for thebackend system to perform steps 410-420. Accordingly, the user can bedirected to turn on the wireless end device 310 after the backendprovisioning system is set up to monitor candidate gateways 304.

In step 430, the user may turn on the wireless end device 310. This mayinclude flipping a power switch, plugging the wireless end device 310into a power outlet, and/or charging and/or installing batteries. If thewireless end device 310 is already on, the user may reset the wirelessend device 310 so that it reboots. Once the wireless end device 310 isturned on or boots up, it may automatically begin to attempt to connectto a local wireless network at step 435. The wireless end device 310 maybe preconfigured or pre-programmed (e.g., with firmware) so that itbegins the process of attempting to connect to a local wireless networkupon being turned on. Alternatively, the wireless end device 310 mayhave a separate button or switch that may be manipulated to trigger theprocess of attempting to connect to the local wireless network.

In some embodiments, the wireless end device 310 and a nearby gateway304 may both be configured to support the IEEE 802.1x standard forcommunication. If so, the wireless end device 310 and gateway 304 maycommunicate with one another to connect the wireless end device 310 tothe gateway 304 using processes set forth in the IEEE 802.1x standard.Alternatively, instead of using the processes of the IEEE 802.1xstandard, the gateway 304 may transmit an activation SSID. Afteridentifying the target premises in step 410, the backend system may senda signal to a gateway 304 at the target premises to instruct the gateway304 at the target premises to broadcast the activation SSID. The backendsystem may help to ensure that the wireless end device 310 is connectedto the correct gateway 304 by regulating which gateways in the vicinityof the target premises are broadcasting the activation SSID. Forexample, referring to FIG. 3, the backend system might keep the gateway304 at premises 302 from broadcasting the activation SSID (e.g., byinstructing it to stop broadcasting the activation SSID or by makingsure not to provide it with instructions to broadcast the activationSSID) while the gateway 304 at premises 301 is broadcasting theactivation SSID in order to connect the new wireless end device 310.Alternatively, rather than being broadcasted in response to aninstruction from the backend system, the activation SSID may bebroadcasted intermittently (e.g., every 10 seconds) or continuously(e.g., back-to-back).

The activation SSID may be wall-gardened, and designated only forprovisioning end devices 310. In other words, the activation SSID may behidden from users. Hence, a user of the gateway 304 broadcasting theactivation SSID might not know the value of the activation SSID.However, the wireless end device 310 may be preconfigured with theactivation SSID so that it may communicate with the gateway 304broadcasting that activation SSID. A plurality of gateways 304 or allgateways 304 of a service provider may be configured to broadcast thesame activation SSID, so that the wireless end device 310 may becompatible with any such gateway 304. In other words, gateways 304 atdifferent premises 102 may broadcast the same activation SSID so thatthe wireless end device 310 preconfigured with the activation SSID canbe installed at various premises 102 without entering specific localnetwork information. For example, the gateways 304 in the first premises301 and the second premises 302 of FIG. 3 may both broadcast the sameactivation SSID (e.g., particularly if both gateways 304 are supplied bythe same service provider). Notably, because multiple gateways 304 maytransmit the same activation SSID, the wireless end device 310 mayundesirably connect to the wrong gateway. As explained above, thewireless end device 310 may connect to a gateway 304 on, e.g., aneighboring premises.

In some embodiments, different end devices 310 may be preconfigured withdifferent activation SSIDs, and so gateways 304 may be configured tobroadcast multiple activation SSIDs. For example, end devices 310produced by different manufacturers may be configured with differentactivation SSIDs. Also, for example, different types of end devices(e.g., cameras, motion sensors, lights, STBs, etc.) may be associatedwith different activation SSIDs. Further, the backend system may provideinstructions to the gateways 304 indicating which activation SSIDs theyshould broadcast. The backend system may store which end devices arepreconfigured with which activation SSIDs. Thus, for example, if a userscans a box of a new end device 310 with a bar code reader to initiateactivation of the end device (or some other action triggers activationof the end device), the backend system may look-up which device wasscanned, determine a corresponding activation SSID, and then instructthe gateway at the target premises to broadcast that activation SSID.

Once the wireless end device 310 is connected to the gateway 304,whichever gateway 304 it is connected to may report the connection tothe backend system at step 440. For example, if the wireless end device310 is connected to the gateway 304 on premises 301, then that gateway304 may transmit data to the local office 303 indicating that thewireless end device 310 has been newly added at premises 301. However,if the wireless end device 310 is connected to the gateway 304 onpremises 302, then that gateway 304 may transmit data to the localoffice 303 indicating that the wireless end device 310 has been newlyadded at premises 302. The data transmitted to the local office 303 fromthe gateways 304 may be included within certain data structures tofacilitate detection of the new wireless end device 310 by the backendsystem. As described above, the gateways 304 may be configured togenerate a data structure, including information representing that a newend device 310 is connected thereto and/or information describing thenew end device 310. For example, the gateway 304 may generate a datastructure with the IP address and/or MAC address of the new wireless enddevice 310, and transmit that data structure to the backend system sothat the backend system can subsequently communicate with the wirelessend device 310.

In some embodiments, the wireless end device 310, upon connecting to thegateway 304 using the activation SSID, may be configured to report itsnew connectivity to the backend system. The gateway 304 may provide thewireless end device 310 with the backend system address or the wirelessend device 310 may be preconfigured with the backend system address (ora list of backend system addresses). In such cases, the wireless enddevice 310 may provide the backend system with its IP address, its MACaddress, information identifying the gateway 304 it is connected to(e.g., an IP address, MAC address, serial number of the gateway), and/orother information identifying itself (e.g., information identifying itsmodel number, device type (e.g., camera, sensor, etc.), communicationprotocols, etc.).

In step 445, the backend system may determine whether a new end device310 has been connected to a local network. This determination may bemade by evaluating the data structure(s) received in step 440. Morespecifically, the backend system may evaluate data from each of thecandidate gateways 304 identified in step 415 to determine whether adata structure received from one of the candidate gateways 304 indicatesthat the wireless end device 310 has been connected to that gateway 304.By evaluating the data from each of the candidate gateways 304, thebackend system may detect the wireless end device 310 even if thewireless end device 310 connects to the wrong premises (e.g., aneighbor's premises). Where the report of connectivity sent in step 440is provided to the backend system from the wireless end device 310,detection at step 445 may include reading/evaluating the report todetermine that the report indicates that a new end device has beenconnected.

If a new end device 310 is not detected at step 445, step 450 may beperformed to determine whether a predetermined amount of time haselapsed since the backend system began monitoring the candidate gateways304. To make this determination, the backend system may reference thestart time stored in step 420. Specifically, the backend system maycompute the difference between a current time (e.g., time of thedetermination) and the start time, and compare the difference with apredetermined threshold (e.g., 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc.).The predetermined threshold may be set so as to give the user time toturn on the device and allow time for the device to power on and connectto the gateway 304 using the activation SSID. In some cases, the usermay designate or otherwise choose this threshold (e.g., from a list ofpossible thresholds) through the activation portal when initiatingactivation of the new end device 310. If the threshold has not beenexceeded (e.g., the predetermined time is not elapsed), the backendsystem may continue to monitor data received from the candidategateways. Where multiple similar devices are being connected at twopremises (e.g., homes) in close proximity at the same (or approximatelythe same) time, the remote location computing device may coordinateamong the premises to delay registration of one device until the otherpremises has correctly registered the competing device. Also, thebackend system could assign different time windows for different usersto turn on their devices so if a device detected in that window it wouldmore likely be the device in that premises. Additionally, in thisunlikely circumstance, the system may require additional informationsuch as a serial number.

If the backend system determines that the threshold has been exceeded(e.g., the predetermined time has elapsed) at step 450, the backendsystem may instruct the gateway 304 at the premises 102 associated withthe user who selected the active device option 501, 511, 521 to informthe user that a time for connecting the new device has expired. Forexample, if a user associated with premises 301 fails to turn on thewireless end device 310 or the wireless end device 310 is not detectedwithin a certain period of time, the local office 303 may sendinformation to the gateway 304 at the premises 301 to instruct thegateway 304 to notify the user accordingly. The user may be notified ofthe expired time in any of the manners described above with respect tostep 425. For example, a gateway 304 may display a message on atelevision 305 connected thereto. The message may indicate that the timehas expired. Additionally, or alternatively, the message may instructthe user to reset the wireless end device 310 and/or return to theactivation portal to re-select the activate device option 501, 511, 521.In some embodiments, when time elapses, the backend system may instructthe gateway to re-broadcast the activation SSID (or try a differentactivation SSID).

Returning to step 445, if the new wireless end device 310 is detected,step 460 may be performed to associate the wireless end device 310 withthe premises 102 identified in step 410. Step 445 may also includeassociating the wireless end device 310 with the user account that isassociated with the premises. For example, after detecting the wirelessend device 310 being added to premises 301, the wireless end device 310may be associated with the user account that is associated withproviding service (e.g., cable television service or home securityservice) to the premises 301.

Further, step 460 may include storing information related to thewireless end device 310. In particular, the backend system may storeinformation describing the wireless end device 310 that is received inthe report at step 440. For example, if the wireless end device 310 is asecurity camera being connected to premises 301, the backend system mayupdate a security system profile affiliated with the premises 301 toidentify the make and model of the camera, serial number of the camera,and/or a list of capabilities of the camera. The backend system may alsoreceive and store information, such as a MAC address and/or IP addressof the end device 310 and/or connection (e.g., WiFi connection)characteristics of the end device 310 (e.g., capacity, noise level,type, speed, etc.). After the wireless end device 310 is connected usingthe activation SSID in step 440, the backend system and wireless enddevice 310 may exchange one or more communications so that the backendsystem may acquire various information regarding the wireless end device310 and store such information in association with a user account.

In step 465, the backend system may communicate with the new wirelessend device 310 to provide the new wireless end device 310 with the localnetwork information (e.g., home/business SSID, password, etc.) of thepremises 102 where the wireless end device 310 is being added. Forexample, referring to FIG. 3, if the wireless end device 310 is beingadded to premises 301, the backend system may provide the wireless enddevice 310 with the specific local network information (e.g., home SSID)of the gateway 304 on the premises 301. If the same wireless end device310 was being added to premises 302, the backend system would send thespecific local network information (e.g., home SSID) of the gateway 304on the premises 302. Notably, the home SSID at premises 301 may bedifferent from the home SSID at premises 302, as these may be set up bythe users at the respective homes. As a result of step 465, the wirelessend device 310 may receive the local network information of a targetpremises without requiring a user to enter the local network informationinto the wireless end device 310. Further, it should be understood thatthe wireless end device 310 may receive the local network information ofthe target premises even though the wireless end device 310 may beinitially connected (using the activation SSID) to a gateway 304 at adifferent premises (e.g., a premises other than the target premises).Because the backend system may be notified of the wireless end device310 by various gateways, it may learn of the wireless end device'slocation even when it is connected to an undesired gateway. Moreover,the backend system may correct the situation by sending the correctlocal network information of the target premises to the wireless enddevice 310, thereby forcing the wireless end device 310 to disconnectfrom the wrong gateway and connect to the right one.

To support step 465, the backend system may employ a database with localnetwork information for each gateway 304 that it may service. Forexample, referring to FIG. 6, the local office 303 may include aspecific local SSID for each gateway 304 it is connected to. Such localnetwork information may be stored in association with user accountinformation, which may include username and password for the activationportal, additional information about one or more premises 102 (e.g.,geographical location, list of devices therein, etc.), billinginformation, etc.

Alternatively, rather than communicating directly with the new wirelessend device 310, the backend system may instruct the appropriate gateway304, which is identified in step 410, to transmit its local networkinformation to the wireless end device 310. In other words, the gateway304 may act as an intermediary for providing the local networkinformation. Other devices may also similarly act as intermediaries (orproxies). For example, an alarm panel may act as an intermediary forproviding the local network information to a newly added security sensortype of end device 310. The instruction sent by the backend system maybe included in a unicast signal sent downstream from the local office303 to, e.g., the specific gateway 304 on the premises 102 where thewireless end device 310 is being added. The gateway 304 may store(either locally or remotely) the local network information of the localnetwork on the premises 102 at which the gateway 304 is located. Forexample, the gateway 304 at the premises 301 may store informationrelated to a local network connecting the gateway 304 and other enddevice(s) 310 at the premises 301. The local network information mayinclude the SSID of the local network (e.g., a home SSID).

In some embodiments, there may be multiple gateways 304 at a singlepremises 102. If so, the backend system may instruct each of thegateways 304 on the premises 102 to broadcast the local networkinformation. This may provide a larger coverage area to which the localnetwork information may be supplied, and thus, may increase thelikelihood that the wireless end device 310 on the premises 102 mayreceive the local network information. Also at step 465, in response toreceiving the instruction from the backend system, the gateway 304 maytransmit its local network information to the wireless end device 310.In the case where the wireless end device 310 is connected to the “wronggateway” (e.g., a gateway at a premises other than the target premises),the backend system may instruct the “wrong gateway” to provide the localnetwork information of the correct gateway to the wireless end device,or to disconnect from the wireless end device 310 so that it may firstconnect to the correct gateway using the activation SSID. As a result,the wireless end device 310 may receive the local network information ofa target premises without requiring a user to enter the local networkinformation into the wireless end device 310.

In step 470, the wireless end device 310 may reconnect to the gateway304 using the local network information (e.g., home SSID) received instep 465. In other words, instead of using the activation SSID toconnect to the gateway 304, the wireless end device 310 may use thespecific SSID of the local network to connect to the gateway 304.Various processes could be used to switch the wireless end device 310from using the activation SSID to using, e.g., a home SSID. In someembodiments, the wireless end device 310 may restart or reboot in orderto reconnect to the gateway 304 using the local network information. Thewireless end device 310 may automatically restart in response toreceiving the local network information. For example, the wireless enddevice 310 may be preconfigured (e.g., programmed) to restart when itreceives the local network information. Additionally, or alternatively,the wireless end device 310 may have an open application programminginterface (API), and the backend system may instruct the wireless enddevice 310 to restart through its API when it provides the local networkinformation. In some examples, instead of automatically restarting thewireless end device 310, the backend system may instruct a user (e.g.,by displaying a message on a display device connected to the localnetwork) to restart the wireless end device 310. In any event, when theswitch occurs, the wireless end device 310 may overwrite the activationSSID with the local network SSID (e.g., home SSID, business SSID, etc.).In some embodiments, although the activation SSID may be overwrittenwith the local network SSID, the wireless end device 310 may still storea copy of the activation SSID. As such, the wireless end device 310could later be installed and automatically provisioned at anotherpremises 102 using the activation SSID. Therefore, for example, if auser moved to a new home, the user could bring the same wireless enddevice 310 to their new home and automatically provision it there asdescribed herein.

In step 475, a user may confirm that the end wireless device 310 hasbeen successfully incorporated into the local network. This confirmationmay be performed by first accessing a confirmation portal similar to theactivation portal. For example, a user may access a confirmation portalby controlling the gateway 304 (e.g., a set top box) to navigate througha menu stored by the gateway 304. While confirming that the wireless enddevice 310 is connected, the user may assign a name to the wireless enddevice 310. For example, if the wireless end device 310 is a securitycamera monitoring a side door entrance to a house, the user may assign aname, such as “the side door camera,” that makes it easy for the user toidentify the wireless end device 310. Such a descriptive name may beused by the backend system to provide certain services, such asnotifying the user if the wireless end device malfunctions, needsrepair, is running low on battery power, etc.

Although example embodiments are described above, the various featuresand steps may be combined, divided, omitted, rearranged, revised, and/oraugmented in any desired manner to accommodate various use cases. Forexample, in the backend provisioning process of FIG. 4, the user mayturn on the wireless end device 310 prior to accessing the portal. Incase of such a situation, the backend system may request candidategateways 304 to report whether any devices have recently been turned on.Additionally, the backend system may begin to monitor candidate gatewaysas described in step 420 as the candidate gateways 304 are determined instep 415. Various alterations, modifications, and improvements willreadily occur to those skilled in art. Such alterations, modifications,and improvements as are made obvious by this disclosure are intended tobe part of this description though not expressly stated herein, and areintended to be within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, andnot limiting. This patent is limited only as defined in the followingclaims and equivalents thereto.

1. A method comprising: sending, by a first device and to a seconddevice, a message; and causing, after the sending of the message,performance of an action.